Fundamental Science Research
The Joint Preservation and Regeneration research group is one part of the Collaborative Orthopaedic Research (CORe) group. Located in the Clinical Sciences Building, Collaborative Orthopaedic Research (CORe) is an interdisciplinary group from the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, and Faculty of Engineering at the University of Alberta. CORe's focus is on improving the recovery of patients with bone, joint and muscle conditions and injuries.
By coming together, CORe researchers and clinicians can easily transfer new research findings into clinical practice and evaluate the clinical impact of new treatments on patients, health care providers and the health care system. Clinicians and researchers can also work together to address important knowledge gaps in each of the areas.
The research group consists of laboratories aimed to preserve and regenerate tissue from various joints for the purpose of treating joint injuries and diseases such as osteoarthritis.
Objectives
The primary objectives of this group are to restore joint health by developing novel tissue engineered structures or preserving biologic tissues to be used for implantation or transplantation in damaged joints. The tissues within joints such as articular cartilage and meniscus tend to have a poor capacity to heal. When injury occurs, the joint will progress to degenerative changes if it cannot heal itself, resulting in osteoarthritis with expectant pain, loss of joint motion and loss of joint function. This can severely impact quality of life for these patients. By enabling repair of these joint tissues by various modalities, we may be able to help the joint heal properly and regain normal function thereby improving the quality of life of people with significant joint injuries.
Our members are cell biologists, biochemists, engineers, orthopedic surgeons and prosthodontists.
Joint Preservation + Regeneration Involves Two Sub-groups:
Cartilage Cryopreservation
Focused on preserving cells at subzero temperatures for long-term storage.
Stem Cells + Joint Tissue Engineering
Focused on generating joint tissue by using stem and native cells.
Contact Us
Lab Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Research Innovation
8602 112 Street
Edmonton, AB
T6G 2E1
Research Associate
Dr. Leila Laouar
Email: llaouar@ualberta.ca
Phone: 780-492-6316